First polls close as voters decide control of U.S. Congress

First polls close as voters decide control of U.S. Congress Voters line up to cast their ballots for the midterm elections at Newland Elementary School in the 48th Congressional District, Huntington Beach, California, U.S. November 6, 2018 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The first polls began to close in parts of Indiana and Kentucky on Tuesday as Americans cast votes at the end of a divisive campaign to decide whether Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans maintain their grip on the U.S. Congress. The remainder of the polling locations in Indiana and Kentucky, and in half a dozen other states, will close in another hour. But it could be hours before the winners are determined in dozens of tight races that will decide control of the House of Representatives and Senate. The first national elections since Trump captured the White House in a 2016 upset became a referendum on the polarizing president, and a test of whether Democrats can turn the energy of the liberal anti-Trump resistance into victories at the ballot box. The Democrats are favoured by election forecasters to pick up the 23 seats they need to gain a majority in the House, but have slimmer hopes of gaining control of the Senate, opinion polls show. All 435 seats in the House, 35 seats in the 100-member Senate and 36 of the 50 state governorships are up for grabs on Tuesday. The volatile campaign was marked by clashes over race, immigration and trade. In the final stretch, Trump focussed… [Read full story]